Country Advice Zimbabwe Zimbabwe – ZWE38190 – MDC – Borrowdale – Harare – Provincial boundaries 25 February 2011 1. Can you obtain an electoral map for Zimbabwe or other information that shows in which Province the suburb of Borrowdale, Harare is currently located? According to the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, the suburb of Borrowdale, Harare is currently located in Harare Province.1 2. Can you obtain an electoral map for Zimbabwe or other information which shows in which Province Borrowdale was located in 2003? 1 `Harare Province' in `A Profile of Constituencies: Understanding Elections in Zimbabwe' 2008, Zimbabwe Election Support Network website, 26 March http://www.zesn.org.zw/publications/ZESN%20Constituency%20profiles- Harare%20(Excluding_Chitungwiza,%20Mufakose,%20Glen%20Norah%20&%20Highfield%20East).pdf - Accessed 21 May 2010 – Attachment 1 Page 1 of 3 While an electoral map showing the Province in which Borrowdale was located in 2003 could not be found, anecdotal evidence suggests Borrowdale was likely to have been in East Mashonaland. The city – and current Province – of Harare is geographically located entirely within the boundaries of Mashonaland East Province.2 Given Borrowdale was absorbed into the then newly created Province of Harare in 20033, and is geographically located within the parameters of Mashonaland East Province4, it appears to follow that in 2003 Borrowdale technically ceased to be located in East Mashonaland and became reassigned to Harare Province. 3. Can you find any evidence to confirm that electoral boundaries affecting Harare and surrounding areas were changed after 2003, and if so whether Borrowdale was reassigned to another Province as a result of those changes? According to Zimbabwean state-owned newspaper The Herald, the Provinces of Harare and Bulawayo were created in 2003 – the new Harare Province consisted of eight districts, including Borrowdale District which covered northern suburbs up to the northern boundary of Harare Province.5 Critics of this decision claimed redistributing the boundaries of the then opposition-led cities was an attempt to “dilute the power base of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)”.6 In 2007, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported the Zimbabwean government was creating new political boundaries to incorporate elements of the ZANU-PF‟s rural support base into MDC dominated Harare ahead of the 2008 elections.7 According to the article, parts of East, West and Central Mashonaland were to be incorporated within the boundaries of Harare Metropolitan Province.8 2 „Zimbabwe‟ (undated), Smart Traveller website http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw- cgi/view/~map/Advice/Zimbabwe – Accessed 16 February 2011 – Attachment 2 3 „Zimbabwe: Boundaries for Harare, Bulawayo Provinces Released‟ 2003, All Africa [source: The Herald], 6 January http://allafrica.com/stories/200301070383.html – Accessed 9 February 2011 – Attachment 3 4 „Zimbabwe‟ (undated), Smart Traveller website http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw- cgi/view/~map/Advice/Zimbabwe – Accessed 16 February 2011 – Attachment 2 5 „Zimbabwe: Boundaries for Harare, Bulawayo Provinces Released‟ 2003, All Africa [source: The Herald], 6 January http://allafrica.com/stories/200301070383.html – Accessed 9 February 2011 – Attachment 3 6 „Zimbabwe: Mugabe to Appoint Governors Over MDC Mayors‟ 2003, All Africa [source: Irin News], 7 January http://allafrica.com/stories/200301070367.html - Accessed 9 February 2011 – Attachment 4 7 „Zimbabwean government to draw up new political boundaries‟ 2007, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 19 April http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1293504.php/Zimbabwean_government_to_draw_ up_new_political_boundaries - Accessed 15 February 2011 – Attachment 5 8 „Zimbabwean government to draw up new political boundaries‟ 2007, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, 19 April http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1293504.php/Zimbabwean_government_to_draw_ up_new_political_boundaries - Accessed 15 February 2011 – Attachment 5 Page 2 of 3 Attachments 1. `Harare Province‟ in `A Profile of Constituencies: Understanding Elections in Zimbabwe‟ 2008, Zimbabwe Election Support Network website, 26 March http://www.zesn.org.zw/publications/ZESN%20Constituency%20profiles- Harare%20(Excluding_Chitungwiza,%20Mufakose,%20Glen%20Norah%20&%20Hig hfield%20East).pdf – Accessed 21 May 2010. 2. Title: „Zimbabwe‟ (undated), Smart Traveller website http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/~map/Advice/Zimbabwe – Accessed 16 February 2011. 3. „Zimbabwe: Boundaries for Harare, Bulawayo Provinces Released‟ 2003, All Africa [source: The Herald], 6 January http://allafrica.com/stories/200301070383.html – Accessed 9 February 2011. 4. „Zimbabwe: Mugabe to Appoint Governors Over MDC Mayors‟ 2003, All Africa [source: IRIN News], 7 January http://allafrica.com/stories/200301070367.html – Accessed 9 February 2011. 5. „Zimbabwean government to draw up new political boundaries‟ 2007, Deutsche Presse- Agentur, 19 April http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1293504.php/Zimbabwea n_government_to_draw_up_new_political_boundaries – Accessed 15 February 2011. Page 3 of 3 .